JASMINE: UNSPOKEN LOVE
by Sarahcorine
Summary: What if Ariel was not the only princess without a voice? Born without a voice, Jasmine meets and befriends Aladdin, but how will their story play out when Jasmine was born without a voice?
1. Chapter 1

PART ONE

It wasn't a horrible life. I lived in a palace, after all. I had servants to tend to my every need and desire. I had an amazing best friend who wasn't even human. The best part of the palace was my room. It had a spacious balcony that overlooked the town below, but it was the view above that I gazed at each night. I looked up at the stars and as a falling star flew through the dark night, I wish I could fly away through that same sky. It wasn't a horrible life. It wasn't what I had that troubled me. It was who I was expected to be. A stranger's bride. To give my life to a man I didn't know. To sleep next to someone and bear my body to him for the sake of children. To give myself completely to someone I didn't love. I'd sacrifice life in the palace just to give away everything that came with it. I'd sacrifice everything just to speak, just to tell my father that maybe I don't want to be a princess anymore. He doesn't hear me, no one does. No one can. I was born mute and so I was born without a voice. I've never spoken a word and I never can.

The night sky was clear. A perfect starless night, but I longed to be that falling star so to fall away from all sadness and pressure. My mother had been my greatest voice, but that was a long time ago. Now it's my father who tries his best and God bless his effort but even his greatest effort is not my voice. His voice speaks of wedding dresses and wedding bells and walking me down that horrid aisle to that horrid stranger. That's not my voice. I gazed at the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of my mother. She told me falling stars were loved ones sending us love from Heaven. It's been so long since I've seen that star. I had to go after it somehow. I had to leave. To disappear. To maybe find a voice somewhere. I gazed at the sky one more time just thinking that if I looked hard enough, I'd be gifted with a voice.

As I climbed the palace wall, I felt a tug on my robe pull me back, and heard a growl.

"Oh Rajah," I thought. I held my precious tiger close to me and almost regretted my decision to leave, but I couldn't stay here and have my life lived for me. He whimpered in my arms. My heart broke. I nuzzle my face into his fur leaving him with my tears. I let go, knowing I'd never see him again but it was a choice I had to make. I climbed over the palace wall, giving him one last look. For once I was thankful I could not speak, for speaking a goodbye would break my heart forever.

I left the palace on that starless night, not once looking behind me.


	2. Chapter 2

JASMINE: UNSPOKEN LOVE

PART TWO

I spent the night wandering the streets, using the moon as my guide. I'd follow it anywhere partly because I left without a real plan. Any regret or fear I had, I overcame it with my excitement and curiosity for this world beyond the palace walls. I never realized there were so many merchants around.

"A pretty necklace for a pretty lady!"

I backed away and almost bumped into a man with a sword in his mouth. We had entertainers come to the palace who would swallow their sword. I always looked away. I couldn't imagine the entertainment in such an act. I turned away and saw a little boy struggling to reach an apple from a merchant stand. I reached for the apple and gave it to him. He turned his sight to me to smile at me, but his smile quickly turned to fear when he heard the merchant speak.

"You better have money to pay for that."

Money. The one thing I didn't consider to bring. I've always had a translator in the palace who would speak for me. I never felt that I needed him until now.

"Not talking are you?! No one steals from me."

The man grabbed me by my arm and pulled me down so my hand was on his table. I pulled away but he only pulled me closer hurting my arm. He pulled out a sword from behind him and I knew at once what his intentions were. For feeding a hungry child?! The harder I pulled away from him, the harder he held me in place. No!

"Thank you kind sir."

Suddenly, a hand came from nowhere to stop the sword. I looked up to see a boy standing in front of me as he pushed the merchant's hand away.

"Oh thank you so much good sir for finding my sister. I have been looking for her everywhere. You'll have to excuse her. She's just a little crazy."

Who was this boy? He certainly had a way with words and thanks to his bravery, I had a way with keeping my hand. The boy turned to me. For a moment, my heart stopped. He had a dazzling smile and enchanting eyes that stared me down. He placed his hands on my back and lead me away.

"Abu!" He called after the little monkey whose thieving hand was caught in a woman's purse.

"Stop!" The merchant called after us as we fled. "Thieves! Bandits! Come back here!"

Though instinct should have told me to run from this stranger, something about him made me feel safe. After all, he saved me from losing my hand. He led me to the home he shared with his companion. His monkey retreated to a corner with the apples and small jewels he stole. His home wasn't much to look at. An abandoned rooftop with fallen planks of wood and ripped drapes loosely hanging from them. As small and homely a place it was, there was a strange sense of similarity I could not understand.

"Hey," he smiled at me. "Don't worry about it. Captain Hook made a life with one hand. I bet you'd look cuter with a hook than him."

I stepped back, not sure to take that as a compliment and be flattered or something else entirely. He must've seen the look of concern on my face because he quickly and quite awkwardly tried to fix it.

"Uh what I mean is, you don't seem to know how dangerous the streets of Agrabah can be."

He's no prince charming, but he has his way of being charming in his own right. He pulled back the ripped sheet that hung at the hole in the wall. I sighed at the sight behind. A sight I'm trying so hard to forget. I sat down and looked away from it. This boy sat next to me.

"Hey, the palace would be a pretty amazing place to live. I can only imagine how awesome it would be. Better than this place anyways. Just to be free."

Just to be free? A feeling we shared. He sat next to me and took my hand. Surprisingly, I didn't pull away.

"So. . .are you running from something or someone? You can tell me."

I sighed deeply. If only I could speak, I would honestly tell him anything. I've never been able to vent or tell anyone my problems. My father always jokes that I'm good at keeping secrets. I put my hands to my throat trying to symbolize that I actually couldn't tell him anything.

"You can't speak?"

I shake my head no.

"That's too bad."

I took his hand back and squeezed it enough to let him know I was more than willing to listen to anything he had to say. He made conversation a bit awkward but cute nonetheless.

"What?" He asked. "You want to know about me?"

I smile letting him know I want to know everything about the boy who saved me.

"Let's see. Where should I start? I'm a young strong man with a good sense of fashion and a real knack for saving beautiful girls."

I smile at his self-description.

"Um not that I know a lot of beautiful girls. You would be the first. . .I mean, well you know what I mean."

He fumbled over his words and steals an apple from his monkey and handed it to me.

"I mean. . .apple?"

I smile as I take the apple. I wish I could ask him to tell me his real story. As I looked into his eyes now, there was something so familiar about this boy, like I somehow already know him. That's sadly impossible. I've never been around anyone but my father and the man that works for him. Maybe it's because this boy is the first person I've been around that's new, but I didn't really want to leave his side. There was a look in his eyes calling me to him. I move closer to him and my heart stops as he does the same. I just can't pull away from him.


End file.
